The North has a distinct character,
landscape and history making it a quite different
experience to the Peloponnese. The different climate
(wetter!) means the area is altogether greener, the land
more cultivated, with fruit trees more common than
olives. This part of Greece is much less visited than the South
& we often have the sites almost to ourselves.

The tour
will concentrate on Macedonia, the land of Philip
II & Alexander & route of the Via Egnatia.
We will again be going East to visit Amphipolis,Phillipi & Kavala. The region
was occupied by the Ottomans until 1913 & still has a
strong Turkish influence in its
architecture & cuisine.

We
fly to Thessaloníki where we
will spend 4 nights. There is so much to see in
this vibrant city with a wealth of Roman remains, Turkish
baths, two fine museums, mosques, dozens of churches,
both Byzantine & modern, a large bazaar & many
excellent restaurants.

Pediment
of tomb at Lefkadia

Our
first day we go toPella,
capital city of King Philip ll where his
son Alexander was born in 356 BC. The C4th
BC pebble mosaic floors on the site &
in the lovely museum are superb.

Next
we visit two Macedonian tombs at Lefkadia;
these beautiful C4th BC barrel vaulted marble
tombs have exquisite painted decoration.

Then we will go to Aristotle's
school at Mieza, where Philip sent Alexander
& his friends to be taught by the
philosopher. The site is tranquil &
atmospheric, an idyllic place for a picnic lunch
listening to nightingales singing & picking
wild mulberries for dessert!

The next day is a 'free' day in Thessaloníki visiting
the Palace, magnificent triumphal Arch & Rotunda of Galerius
Caesar, the Roman Agora, the Turkish Baths, White
Tower, bazaar, St Sophia, & much more, leaving time
to enjoy a drink on the sea front! The museum has a
magnificent display of Macedonian gold.

Then we go
first toVeryina(ancient Aigai), now confirmed as
the old capital of the kings of Macedon. It is a
breathtaking experience: the Great Tumulus contains Philip's
tomb & two others, together with a staggering
array of articles found in them. Here is the gold
casket, which contained the bones of Philip. We will
also visit the site of Philip's palace & the theatre
where, in 336 BC, he was murdered & Alexander crowned
king.

Next
we go toDion,another
idyllic site, ( nightingales, hoopoes and rollers here)
at the foot of Mount Olympos.Sanctuaries
to Demeter, Dionysos, Isis, & Zeus were built here in
the C6th BC & Alexander held a massive party
& gave supplication to Zeus, before his campaign to
India. There are also substantial remains of the Roman
city including a theatre, odeion, public baths &
the House of Dionysos which has a fine mosaic floor.

Thenwe travel east to Amphipolis. Founded in
437 BC Amphipolis this is another very large site with
remains from the C5th BC, including unique remnants of
the bridge over the river Strymon, some 10
kilometres of defensive walls, the painted walls
of a Hellenistic house, and several Byzantine Basilicas.
Nearby is the magnificent C4th BC colossal marble Lion
of Amphipolis.

We spend 4 nights in the
fishing port of Kavala, where St
Paul landed in AD 49. The old town is charming, a
maze of steep, narrow streets overhung with pretty
Turkish houses leading up to the kastro. There is a fine
16th century aquaduct & an excellent museum.

lead roof of the Imaret in
Kavala

The Roman Forum at Philipi

From here we visitPhilipi, site of
the battle in 42 BC. Most of the extensive remains
we see are Roman & Christian, including part of the
original Via Egnatia, a fine theatre, a forum,
public baths, three basilicas & what may have been St
Paul's prison.

We will go further east into Thrace
to visit Xanthi, a town with a large Turkish
population & an old Ottoman quarter with elegant
mansions built by C19th tobacco merchants.

The Agora in Limenas, Thasos

We will make a day trip to Liménas,
the capital of Thasos, a short
ferry ride away, where there is anancient
akropolis, theatre, agora, remains of several sanctuaries
and good beaches.